HurricaneMaine

Blue mountains

I booked a tour with Wildlife Tours to the outside of Sydney to the Blue Mountains. They have eucalyptus trees there and the oils that evaporate of the surface of the leaves reflect the light and make a blue haze as you look at them.

We stopped at a few places along the way, stopping at a water fall, and taking a few bush walks through the area. The smell of eucalyptus in the air was fantastic.

Jamison lookout

From here we walked around to get to the other cliff where the water fall is located. It was a great bush walk.

During the bush walk we found a funnel web spider hole. This is the 3rd most venomous spider in the world. And… the venom can kill quickly.

Boars Head lookout and Cahill lookout.

We stopped here to see how far the Australian fires came to Sydney. This was the worst year on record for the amount of bush fires and animal lives lost. You can see the scorch marks on the rocks and areas of trees that are browner than others. Since they have had rain the last week, it is really starting to green up quickly in the area.

This Rock formation looks like a Boar’s head.

From here you can see the areas that burnt.

Three sisters rocks.

An Aboriginal tale of the Dreamtime talks of a medicine man who took his 3 daughters looking for herbs. He put them on the cliff to keep them safe but they kicked rocks to the valley below which angered a monster who raced up the cliff. To protect them, the father turned them into stone. The monster chased the medicine man around the opposite cliff carving a valley at the base. Tired, the medicine man turned himself into a bird.

At this point we had 3 options: go to the pub near 3 sisters and wait, go to the pub but take a short walk and touch the closest of the 3 sisters, or walk the rim of the canyon. I chose the latter.

Almost to the pub it started pouring and we had to be sprint. As it was not clearing soon we did not see the sunset, but it was a great day!

Sydney Harbour Cruise

Brief history:

Australia was found by James Cook who did not find any formal structures here and determined it uninhabited. Of course it wasn’t.

It was another 18 years before Australia was used as a penal colony as jails in England were overpopulated due to a poor economy, the US had won its independence and people were sent here to live. There were 750 inmates and 750 people with skills to start the new colony.

They arrived where the airport currently is in Botany bay but the lack of fresh water and ground to plant cross had them look elsewhere. Then Sydney Harbour was founded which had more land to grow crops and fresh water.

I walked from my hotel to circular quay (pronounced key).

There is a great set of ornate fountains outside of the wharf. This commemorates the storage tanks for water carved in stone.

I walked around while I waited for the tour to get underway. Near the wharf is the museum of contemporary art.

The oldest house in Sydney in Campbell’s Cove. The Rocks is near here where the first settlement was created.

The lunar New year celebration just finished the day before. All the animals of the Chinese zodiac are on display here.

The opera House and Sydney Harbour bridge from the cruise.

This is in the Royal Gardens. It advertises plants with bite carnivorous plants.

Mrs. Macquarie’s rock. Her husband had steps and a seat carved out for her. She used to crochet/knit and yearn for England. He was the first governor.

Garden Island military base in wallabaloo which meand Little kangaroo. They originally planned cross here with seeds they brought from Europe but all the crops died of course.

This is Shark island which is named because of its general shape.

On the military base is a heritage House.

This area is Point Piper. The white house is rented by Oprah Winfrey for 40k a week. The salmon committed one on the right is owned by universal studios.

There are only a few beaches here along Sydney harbour. This one is particularly busy usually… But it is a Monday… School is back in session because summer is over.

At Bradley’s Head you find the mast of an old warship

Fort Dennison was built on a pile of rock. The rock used to be called Pinch gut which means the narrowing of an estuary. They would tie a convict here who was exceptionally basy and they would be there until they died. In 1850’s it was used for another purpose.

Governor general’s house. Admiralty house.

More pictures curb the lunar New year celebration.

After the tour I walked over to The Rocks, the first settlement.

Commemoration to the aborigines, settlers, and convicts who came here.

While at the boardwalk in Campbell’s Cove.

An interesting old building tucked amongst sky scrapers.

I found a grocery store close to the apartment I’m staying at to stock up on some food. I was lucky to find something affordable and convenient.

Botanic Gardens and Eat Street, Brisbane

The Botanic Gardens are on the North Bank of the Brisbane River and accessible by many spots along the river as well as streets by the Parliament building.

I walked from the South Bank across the Goodwill Bridge to the North Bank. This takes you to the Gardens.

It is very beautiful and spacious. I loved hearing the birds singing.

A sculpture called building blocks of life.

I walked in search of an umbrella (yes, still raining but not a downpour.) I jumped into an Uber to Eat Street. It is a place on the map but since the Brisbane River winds its way through the city (that is why it is called the brown snake) it is still pretty far to walk.

It is a bunch of shipping containers making the outside walls.

Inside, shipping containers make the food and other stalls. You can find all kinds of food from different nationalities.

I decided on a soft shell crab burger. I haven’t had one of these in a long time.

As I ate, I listened to various bands on the several stages they have inside. I did order a dessert, walking around several times deciding. I had fried dough balls with honey and cinnamon. They were not great like I expected them to be.

There is a very terminal close to here so I jumped on the city cat ferry to go to the South Bank. Nice ride. Nice to see sights, talk to people, and cheaper way to travel.

The felons brewing company and the bridge I climbed.

Moreton Island

I booked a tour for a different island that offered stand up paddle boarding and snorkeling. The past day had seen intermittent showers and was hoping it would be the same that day. There have been a lot of rain of late which allowed for a lot of online work to be completed.

Tangalooma resort

Taken from the stand up paddle board. Right in front of the beach are shipwrecks that we are able to snorkel around.

Kookaburra. I missed the show feeding them.

I paddle boarded for a while then went snorkeling.

As I drifted along I was taking more video and during this next clip realized I was being pulled along by a strong current.

I actually needed one of the people on jet skis to tow me out. That’s why they are there and after taking me to the beach they went back to get two more. Not many people were snorkeling after that.

No matter, it started pouring and did not let up. I instead took the boat back two hours early and diff more work.

There is a lot to see in Brisbane but the weather is not cooperating. Byron bay is supposedly fantastic!

Brisbane

After arriving in Brisbane I spent quite a bit of time working at grading and adding two weeks of lessons for the online learning we are doing during the extended break. Time for a break from the computer.

I booked a tour for the afternoon so that I could get out and stretch my legs. The Story Bridge Adventure Climb looked interesting and it was a fair walk to it as well.

The bridge was built during the Great Depression using material sourced from Australia. It was a public works project that allowed employment and job skill training. It is a cantilever bridge and matters that it has no posts in the river itself.

My tour guide was great and provided all kinds of information about Brisbane which I will scatter about below.

We climbed up to a peak in the bridge and then towards the center before turning around and coming back the other side. You are tethered the whole way for safety.

Looking down at traffic at the halfway point of the walk.

On the way there I left the apartment building I’m staying at. I’m so glad to have a kitchen and cook for a few days. It was right next to the river and the Riverwalk that goes along the Brisbane River. There are paths on both sides of the river for easy travel and ferry boats to go from bank to bank.

There is Mangrove forest along the edges.

The peace pagoda created by the Nepalese. There is beautiful intricate carvings and these pagodas can be found in other areas around the world.

In South Bank there are a few pools and a sand beach that people can swim in.

Kangaroo cliffs at kangaroo point. It gets its name when the area was first settled the kangaroos would eat all the grass farmers wanted fur their sheep, do they corralled them to the this area.

There are beautiful gardens along the walk through South Branch.

There is also art work scattered around.

I thought this lizard was posing. Instead he was catching insects.

Near the end of my walk they had information on the settling of the area. It was credited to James Warner but actually 4 felons who integrated with the aborigines on Moreton Island used to row a canoe around the area and found the opening to the Brisbane River which at that time was difficult to find. They left maps and notes that were discovered much later.

I love how even people here are questioning the history we were taught. As in America, they were horrible to the aborigines and we made our own story.

Behind me is the four felons brewery. Of course I stopped later.

The Customs House. Now a restaurant is there but you can go inside to see.

This is the bridge I climbed as I look from the other side of the river.

Now that it is night, there are beautiful lights here. This was taken on a pedestrian bridge across the water as I headed back to the South Bank from the North.

The Ferris wheel on the South Bank. It is to give a great view of Brisbane as well.

The colours on this bridge is the lighting at night.

Now to check on student work, solve problems, and prepare for an island visit tomorrow.

More from Gold Coast, Australia

I stayed at the Marriott in Surfers Paradise north. They have their own salt water reef pool. They pump water in from the inlet behind the hotel, filter it, and use ozone to kill the bacteria. The reef pool has fish and you can swim with them. I swam there a couple times.

The bottom of the reef pool is sand and part is simulated coral.

They have a fish feeding program in the morning to see and feed the reef fish.

Between posting and grading assignments as we are using online learning while school is closed, I took a short afternoon tour to the rainforests of Springbrook and natural bridge as well as the Goondawanna rainforest. It was a rainy overcast day.

On the way we saw a Padi Melon wallaby in the park along the side of the road.

He is pretty well camouflaged. I had to make the picture larger to see him.

This area was an erupted volcano that water eventually eroded some of the rock leaving behind rock not easily eroded.

The light brown is a strangler fig that grows from the top down from seeds dropped by birds. It eventually kills the tree it grows against that takes 150 years.

This is the outside of strangler fig that had killed the inner tree. The fig will continue to live another 400 years after.

This is the home of a big spider that is the size of the hole. It weaves a web inside connected to the front which makes a trap door. It senses movement and opens the door to grab prey. Not fatal bites to us but painful.

Under the natural bridge is a cave with bats. They eat insects.

We then climbed to the top to see the sources of the waterfall.

We saw several species of figs. This one had a red skin and was yellow on the inside. It was very sweet and a good tasting fig.

Back at the hotel, I went back to grading assignments when I heard a commotion outside. Two birds lighted on my balcony and kept me company for awhile.

Next I head back to Brisbane for a few days.

Great Barrier Reef

When I realized that the southernmost part of the Great Barrier Reef was closer than traveling all the way to Cairns I was excited. Lady Elliot island is a really cool island that is the only one in the reef chain that has it’s own runway.

It is not a cheap trip. It was 829AUD or about $567 USD. It includes hotel pickup, transport by air, drinks, food, and snorkeling. For those wanting to do this it is cheaper from the Gold Coast than from Brisbane. I was intending to do the trip in Brisbane so extended my stay here at the Gold Coast instead. I was excited!

We arrived at the airport in Coolangatta. It was a small plane and as I was by myself I sat in the copilot seat which was awesome.

Some great sights at first and we flew for about 2 hours. Where we were heading was a tiny dot on the panel.

The end of the pink line is the island. You can’t even see the island as the line is the same thickness!

And then I saw the island… Yes it is small. Good thing the plane is small too.

The runway runs from bottom right to top left of the picture.

This island is in a protected green zone. They have solar panels for all of their electricity needs and also use it to distill Sea water for their own drinking water. It is a reef education center, protected sea turtle area, and an eco resort.

You can see the solar panels at the end of the sidewalk running along to the right.

This island is gorgeous. It would be great to stay here for a few days in the resort.

After storing our things and a little look around, we were given snorkeling gear and met for the glass bottom boat tour and snorkeling.

In the glass bottom boat we saw a Manta Ray. It was enormous and they do not sing like sting rays do. The pictures are a little fuzzy as they are taken through glass and water.

Below are other pictures of coral from the glass bottom boat.

Then it was time to snorkel. It was amazing. I’m glad I remembered my go pro (especially since Australia was not planned on this trip. The closing of school due to the coronavirus allowed me this time.)

I took some great video following green Sea turtles and schools of fish.

Sea turtle nesting sites. They are marked with the dates the eggs are laid so when they hatch they are monitored and they can be assisted making it to the Sea.

They offered a really yummy lunch and we were free to explore or snorkel again. I met some great people while visiting the island.

Of course I snorkeled again. Half of our 12 hour day was spent in traveling to and from the island. It was totally worth it. Seeing the Great Barrier Reef was amazing.

Currumbin wildlife sanctuary

So I’m in Australia. The coronavirus had me alter my flight plans and avoid China. It will make it easier to go other places.

The first night in Australia I stayed at a different hotel and used the time in the morning to work on setting up online lessons for my biology students. After several hours I went for a short walk down to the beach then packed to move to another hotel (the first night was so expensive there because it was a weekend). The first hotel was retro and swanky.

On my walk I saw an Ibis. It is caring plastic in it’s mouth. It saddens me.

After checking into the Marriott, I headed to find a tour I could do.

Carrumbin wildlife sanctuary.

I don’t like animals on display but they focus on education, rebreeding programs, and environmental action. You know when the lizards and birds are all walking free it’s a good place.

These two were having a stand of when I arrived.

Koalas

Yes. I had to pay to get a picture and hold a koala. They only do this for 30 minutes. Hey name is Snow. They only pose a few times a week.

Mama and baby. I watched them for awhile.

Grassland Kangaroos

They are free to rain around and take breaks whenever they want.

Outback kangaroos

These are mostly in the desert area in the outback. They require less food and water. These guys were so full it was difficult to find one that would eat.

I am at the edge of the area where they can go to get away from people. This one came out to see if I had food.

This Joey came out to see us while I was talking to one of the volunteers.

Tasmanian devil

These guys are so endangered did to Los of habitat and a disease that causes facial deformity that is fatal.

Visitors while I ate lunch. They really wanted good and would edge around closer. I’m

Alligators

Capybara

Dingo

Echidna or Spiny Anteater

Emus

Red panda

These guys are also critically endangered for to habitat loss.

Tree kangaroo

Wombat den

It is tough to see as it was a nocturnal exhibit.

Lorikeet

These birds are wild but they are used to the daily feeding of nectar and will congregate in the trees and sweep down to feed from the plates. To their little tongues are like paint brushes. No

Birds. Most of the birds come from an ecotone where 2 different biomes meet. Here the rainforest and the open woodland offers many places for the birds to live.

Cotton top Tamarin

Lizards

Aboriginal show

A didgeridoo. Sounds are made by cycling in and out breathing continuously.

The big lizard is not real but they one in it’s back is!

Back to Auckland: Katikati, Mt. Eden, and Blues vs. Chiefs rugby

After leaving for Auckland and the 3 hour trip, we looked for interesting places to stop.

First was a coffee shop downtown that had great coffee and doughnuts on Fridays. Mine was a marscapone, rosemary, and apricot filled. It was yummy but it has been 3/4 year since my last donut. Now I remember why.

Katikati is a small town of 8000 that is new Zealand’s #1 small town. We saw a sign that it has mural art. It has graphic art on the buildings and worthy of a stop.

They built a restroom and little garden area to reproduce a Kauri bush shed and dam. This is one of the oldest bush settlements and they had photographs of original buildings and bush workers.

Back in Auckland we headed to Eden park. The Australian and Pacific tectonic plates meet in this area 200 km below the Sea. It’s activity has created many volcanoes and islands. Auckland has over 50 volcanoes.

Mt. Eden is also known as Maungawhau and was formed by two simultaneous eruptions 28,000 years ago. Fire fountaining created what we saw as it spewed volcanic ash which collected around it creating a cone.

1000 years ago, the Maori people arrived by canoe, Waka, from the Haiweke/Polynesian island they originated. Aotearoa which is New Zealand was formed.

Over the years, settlers had wars and took over indigenous land. After some time the 14 lands (maunga) was restored to the 13 Maori tribes known as iwi. It is collective ownership that allows for shared responsibility and unity. A trust was created and an authority to oversee it.

This is why New Zealand is one of the few or only places that embraces and protects indigenous culture.

Eden Park is where we will be going to the rugby game tonight. It is the national stadium.

Charred broccoli salad and falafel with labne and eggplant.

After, we walked to the stadium. I’ve never been to a rugby match before.

The Blues lost. The Chiefs are from Tauranga where we stayed the last few days.

Tuataura and Mt. Maunganui

The last days we spent at Tuataura with friends of Caroline’s. They have a beautiful home and family. They also have 2 gorgeous cats. It was nice to talk to other fellow educators.

We went to climb the nearest mountain next to the beach. An easy climb compared to Tongariro.

Yes this area is in the Ring of Fire and earthquakes, eruptions, and tsunamis happen.

Afterwards we saw a mineral pool place and went in. They had two massage appointments available right away. My shoulders needed a massage! We followed up with a soak in the mineral pool and it was great. Bath temperature water is the best! Afterwards was spent on the beach.

The coronavirus had hit China and other areas. We are required to wear masks in public places back in China. I will need this for the airplane.

We came back to the same area the next day. This time I rented a paddle board. It was pretty rough waves and was quite the workout.

Walking around I saw some pretty cool signs and items. We shopped and looked around.

Seagulls fighting over food left from patrons outside.

The Hairy Maclary and friends sculpture at the waterfront. This is from a children’s book. Hairy Maclary is the dog jumping on the post.

Next we travel back to Auckland. Plans are to watch a rugby game featuring The Blues vs. Chiefs. It is the opening game of the season.